St George FC set to return to historic Barton Park home

National Premier League Men's NSW side St George FC are set to play their first matches back at their historic Barton Park venue in the Sydney suburb of Banksia on 4th May, with the club planning a big day for the historic occasion.

Returning to the venue for the first time since 2016, the club will be hosting Sutherland Strikers in the Football NSW League One Women’s competition and then Sydney Olympic in an NPL Men’s NSW fixture.

Founded in 1957, the then St George Budapest grew in the following years but were without a permanent home.

They saw establishing their own venue as the next step, and Barton Park was built in 1978.

A main grandstand was installed a year later to increase the ground’s capacity to around 12,000.

At the time, Barton Park served a unique purpose in Sydney’s football scene, being one of a few specialised rectangular football venues in the city.

Its status saw it host many of the country’s premier fixtures from National Soccer League (NSL) finals clashes to Socceroos’ internationals.

It also holds a unique history for the Saints, as it was the side’s home during their only NSL Premiership win in 1983. They also claimed the Ampol Cup, now known as the Waratah Cup, during this period in 1982.

The venue began to decay after St George FC left the NSL in 1991 and their controversial expulsion from the NSW Premier League in 2005.

Closed between 2007 and 2009 and again from 2016, the main grandstand was found to be structurally unsound due to subsidence. It was finally demolished last year.

During this time, a number of proposals were made for the facility and a future home for St George, most notably a plan to relocate the club to a new site north of Barton Park as part of a project to relocate the greater part of the Kogarah Golf Club course - first proposed as part of the Cooks Cove development by the now defunct Cooks Cove Development Authority.

Now, St George are returning to their home as part of Bayside Council’s more modest Barton Park Recreational Precinct, which has redeveloped the area around the old Barton Park Stadium to include three full-size football pitches and a smaller one.

One of the pitches has a grandstand to be named after club legend Frank Arok who coached St George early in the club’s history before coaching the Socceroos.

St George FC Chairman, Bruce Spiteri said playing back at Barton Park for the first time helps the club keep its bond with the facility, advising “it’s important to develop an understanding of what the club means to all of the players and feel part of something that is genuine.

“Our aim is to develop our young players with a sense of belonging to the club, which includes belonging to the facility as well.

“Our goal for the football club is pure and simple: to develop fine young footballers, to play good football, and to see those players we develop go on to have great careers, whether that’s in Australia or overseas.”

Spiteri also said that Barton Park can contribute to a bright future for St George FC and the wider community, adding “the club has been struggling over the last few years to find proper training facilities.

“It’s been a credit to the parents, players and coaches who have had to put up with that dislocation.

“It’s about building a community spirit, community awareness and working with Council and with other community projects to make sure the facility captures all of its potential.”

Bayside Council’s vision to create a recreational hub in Barton Park has attracted $18 million in NSW Government grants and funding, that consists of:

• NSW Government Legacy Grant - $3 million
• NSW Government Multi Sport Grant - $5 million
• Accelerated Infrastructure Grant - $10 million

Click here for more information on the Barton Park Recreational Precinct project.

With thanks to Timothy Gibson and Football NSW.

Images: Barton Park Recreational Precinct (top, credit: Timothy Gibson/Football NSW) and the near complete grandstand that will be named after St George legend Frank Arok (below, credit: Ford Civil).